BESSIE SMITH CLASSIC BLUES 78 WHEN YOU'RE DOWN AND OUT

	£		26
	$		34

TWO FANTASTIC BLUES SIDES FROM THE EMPRESS OF THE BLUES - BESSIE SMITH ON A US COLUMBIA 78 

NOBODY LOVES YOU WHEN YOU'RE DOWN AND OUT

b/w NEW ORLEANS HOP SCOP BLUES

Bessie Smith earned the title of “Empress of the Blues” by virtue of her forceful vocal delivery and command of the genre. Her singing displayed a soulfully phrased, boldly delivered and nearly definitive grasp of the blues. In addition, she was an all-around entertainer who danced, acted and performed comedy routines with her touring company. She was the highest-paid black performer of her day and arguably reached a level of success greater than that of any African-American entertainer before her.

Smith was born in Chattanooga, Tennessee, in 1894. Like many of her generation, she dreamed of escaping a life of poverty by way of show business. As a teenager she joined a traveling minstrel show, the Moss Stokes Company. Her brother Clarence was a comedian with the troupe, and Smith befriended another member, Gertrude “Ma” Rainey (a.k.a. the “Mother of the Blues"), who served as something of a blues mentor. After a decade’s seasoning on the stage, Smith was signed to Columbia Records in 1923. Her first recording - “Down Hearted Blues” b/w “Gulf Coast Blues” - sold an estimated 800,000 copies, firmly establishing her as a major figure in the black record market. Smith sang raw, uncut country blues inspired by life in the South, in which everyday experiences were related in plainspoken language - not unlike the rap music that would emerge more than half a century later.

Some of her better-known sides from the Twenties include “Backwater Blues,” “Taint Nobody’s Bizness If I Do,” “St. Louis Blues” (recorded with Louis Armstrong), and “Nobody Knows You When You’re Down and Out.” The Depression dealt her career a blow, but Smith changed with the times by adapting a more up-to-date look and revised repertoire that incorporated Tin Pan Alley tunes like “Smoke Gets in Your Eyes.” On the verge of the Swing Era, Smith died from injuries sustained in an automobile accident outside Clarksdale, Mississippi, in September 1937.

This session turned out to be Bessie Smith's last recording date before her sudden death in an automobile accident in 1937. The session was organized by record producer John Hammond and he really brought together a great band to accompany Smith. The song "Gimmie A Pigfoot" perfectly captures the spirit of Bessie's personality and is one of her best performances on record.

RECORD DETAILS:- 

US COLUMBIA 37577   10" 78 rpm   

A SIDE:-  Nobody Knows You When You're Down And Out   (Jimmy Cox)   RECORDED 15th MAY 1929

B SIDE:-  New Orleans Hop Scop Blues  (George W. Thomas)    RECORDED 27th MARCH 1930

Condition =  EX+/EX-

TWO GREAT BLUES SIDES FROM THE EMPRESS HERSELF  IN EXCELLENT CONDITION

DON'T MISS OUT !!!

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10" 78 RPM RECORDS NEED CAREFULLY PACKING, AND I CLAIM TO HAVE THE BEST PACKAGING IN THE WORLD FOR DISPATCHING THEM!!

THE GREG'S GREAT'S SYSTEM CONSISTS OF A SPECIALLY DESIGNED INNER BOX MADE OUT OF 1" THICK POLYSTYRENE, WHICH THEN GOES INSIDE A DOUBLE CORREGATED STIFF OUTER CARDBOARD CARTON. THE BOXES CAN TAKE UP TO 21 RECORDS,

USUALLY FOR MAILING OVERSEAS, I RECOMMEND NO MORE THAN 7 IN A BOX, OTHERWISE IT GOES OVER THE AIRMAIL SMALL PACKET MAXIMUM WEIGHT OF 2Kgs WHICH CAUSES A LARGE HIKE IN POSTAL RATES.

I SEND OUT ON AVERAGE ABOUT 30 PARCELS A WEEK AND DISPATCH IS NORMALLY DONE ONCE A WEEK - SO IF YOU DON'T GET YOUR RECORD WITHIN A WEEK IN THE UK, PLEASE DON'T BE TOO SURPRISED - YOU MAY HAVE JUST PAID FOR IT THE DAY AFTER I'VE DONE THE PARCEL RUN!! - ON THE OTHER HAND YOU MAY HAVE HIT IT LUCKY, AND GET THE PARCEL WITHIN A DAY OR TWO!! 

IF YOU REALLY HAVE AN URGENT REQUIREMENT FOR THE RECORD - BIRTHDAY PRESENT, WEDDING, FUNERAL etc PLEASE TELL ME - (BECAUSE I CAN'T READ MINDS!) I WILL DO MY BEST TO GET IT OUT FOR YOU URGENTLY.

IF A RECORD ARRIVES CRACKED OR BROKEN DESPITE MY BEST EFFORTS WITH THIS FANTASTIC PACKAGING I WILL REFUND THE MONEY IN FULL. - JUST SEND ME A QUICK SCAN - IF IT IS A VERY RARE RECORD I MAY ASK YOU TO SEND IT BACK OTHERWISE IT WILL BE YOURS TO KEEP OR DISPOSE OF.